Rotatable drums and loading and unloading doors therefor



Oct. 31, 1967 R. QUINN ETAL 3,349,581

ROTATABLE DRUMS AND LOADING AND UNLOADING DOORS THEREFOR Filed July 25,- 1965 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VINVENITORS FIG]: M 2? g. V 85 562 HL. GT

ATTORNE D 31 R. E- QUINN ETAL ROTATABLE DRUMS AND LOADING AND UNLOADING DOORS THEREFOR Filed July 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,349,581 ROTATABLE DRUMS AND LOADING AND UNLOADING DOORS THEREFOR Richard E. Quinn, Middleton, Mass. (19 Howiey St., Peabody, Mass. 01960), and Elvin H. Cox, High St., Camden, Maine 04843 Filed July 23, 1965, Ser. No. 474,320 Claims. (Cl. 69-30) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Hide-treating drum having a port with a door provided with hanging latch means engageable with hanger and latch means, respectively, on opposite sides of the port, the door being preferably plastic with ribs having reinforcements molded therein to which the hanging and latch means are anchored and the attaching means having slidable rods to which the hanging and latch means are attached.

The present invention relates to rotatable drums of the type having a loading and unloading port and to doors for such ports.

In order that the objectives of the invention, as well as its novel features and advantages, may be fully appreciated, the invention is herein discussed with particular reference to apparatus for use in dyeing hides. Such apparatus includes rotatable drums, typically eight feet in diameter and from four feet to eight feet in width. In the use of such apparatus, a number of 'hides' is placed in each drum which is then charged with an appropriate volume of a dye. After each drum has been rotated for a predetermined length of time, the liquid is drained therefrom and the drum recharged with rinsing water. It is a desirable feature that the drums be capable of being charged and drained while they are rotating. After the treatment of the hides in a drum has been completed, the rinse water is drained therefrom, the drum is stopped and the hides are removed for further processing.

The drums used in such apparatus have loading and unloading ports provided with removable doors. The ports are necessarily of substantial size in order to permit the hides to be placed in the drum and removed thereform. It will be appreciated that with the port in the periphery of the drum, the door will be opened when the port is midway between top and bottom positions while the hides, or at least some of them, are at the bottom of the drum making it necessary for the ports to be so dimensioned that a workman can reach them.

Doors for the loading and unloading ports of such drums must, of course, be capable of sealing the port against the escape of liquid and the principal objections to them have been that they have been so heavy as to create a real risk of injury to the workman while removing and replacing them.

The principal objective of the invention is, accordingly, to provide a door of a weight such that a workman can readily handle it without strain with it and its attaching and securing means being of a construction ensuring ease of both attachment and detachment and, an effective seal, when attached and closed against liquid leakage.

In accordance with the invention, this general objective is attained by providing such a drum with an appropriate ly dimensioned port in its periphery surrounded by a gasket. Hanger means extend transversely of the drum adjacent the edge of the port that is the leading edge when the drum is rotating and latch means extend transversely of the drum adjacent the trailing edge thereof. A door, dimensioned to overlie the gasketed port, consists of a molded body of plastic stock that is arcuate lengthwise with respect to the drum axis and has at least two spaced parallel reinforcements incorporated therein, hanging elements detachably engaged with the hanger means, and toggle means detachably engaged with the latch means operable between door-closing and door-releasing positions, the hanging elemnts and the toggle means being attached to the reinforcements.

Another objective of the invention is a door construction in which the door has a series of spaced, parallel rods extending lengthwise of its outer surface and attached to the reinforcement for sliding movement relative to the door body, a hanging element being attached to one end of each rod and a toggle means being secured to the other end thereof.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide such a door with means so limiting the relative movement between the door body and the rods that, when the body is manually held, the hanging elements are positioned for easy engagement with the hanging means and, when the door is supported by the hanger means and the toggle means are in their door-releasing position, the toggle means are positioned for engagement with the latch means.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a partly sectioned view of a drum with a door attached thereto, the door being shown in elevation,

FIGURE 2 is a section, on an increased scale, taken approximately along the indicated lines 22 of FIGURE FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary section, on a further increase of scale, taken lengthwise of the door,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the outer face of the door on the scale of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hanger plate,

FIGURE 6 is a like view of the latch plate, and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the door and the latch plate and one of the toggles on an increased scale.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by the drawings, there is shown a drum 10 provided with axial shaft portions 11 and 12 by which it may be rotatably I supported by bearings mounted on suitable standards.

As the mounting of the drum and the drive thereof is conventional, neither is shown in the drawings. The shaft portions 11 and 12 are tubular and it is also conventional to utilize the shaft portion 11 to support within it the rotatable part of the ilquid delivery system thereby to permit the drum to be charged with a liquid while it is rotating.

As is fully set forth in our co-pending application of even date herewith, the shaft portion 12 contains for rotation therewith, one end of the air conduit 13 by which the generally indicated drain valve 14 is connected by a rotatable connection, not shown, to a valve controlled source of air under pressure remote from the drum, the valve 14 being normally open and being closed by air under pressure applied thereto thus to permit the drum to be drained and recharged without stopping its rotation.

The drum 10 has a peripheral loading and unloading port 15 surrounded by a gasket 16. The drum 10 is glass, for example, dimensioned to overlie the gasketed port 15 and arcuate, lengthwise considered, with respect to the axis of the drum 10. The outer face of the body 22 has outwardly projecting side and end walls 22A and 22B, respectively, and outwardly projecting, spaced parallel ribs 22C. Reinforcements 23 are embedded in the end walls 22B and reinforcements 24 are similarly embedded in the ribs 22C, see FIGURES 2 and 3. The reinforcements 23 and 24 are desirably, but not necessarily, wooden.

Eyed keepers 25 are threaded into two of the reinforcements 24 and rods 26 are slidably attached to the door 22 lengthwise thereof and parallel to each other by the keepers 25 and each of these is provided with a cross bar 27 at one end. The rods 26 are dimensioned to fit between the hooks 18 of each pair thereof and the cross bars 27 are dimensioned to fit within thehooks 18 thereby to provide means to permit the door to be hung in place when the drum is stopped in an appropriate mid-position.

At the other end of each rod 26, there is a generally indicated toggle device 28. Each toggle device, see FIG- URE 7 consists of a cross bar 29 adjustably threaded on the rod 26 therefor and connected by links 30 to a pivot 31 carried by the two members 32 joined together at one end to provide a handle 33 and at the other by the latch 34 which is adapted to be caught over the appropriate latch 20 when the toggle device 28 is in its door-releasing position, see FIGURE 7. When the handle 33 is pulled downwardly into the locking position of the toggle devices 28, see FIGURE 2, the cover 22 is tightly seated against the gasket 16.

In practice, it will be assumed that the treatment in the drum 10 of a number of hides has been completed, the drum has drained and is stopped with the door 16 about halfway between its uppermost and lowermost positions, as shown in FIGURE 1. The workman in charge of the drum 10 has but to raise the toggle handles 33 to free the toggles and the door may then be lifted to disengage the cross bars 29 from the hanger hooks 28. The construction of the door 21 ensures that the door weight is well within the weight range that the average workman can safely and easily handle without the risk of injury.

The workman may then carry the detached door 22 to a place of safety, desirably a wall provided with hangers, not shown, but which may be similar to the hanger plate 17 and its pairs of hanger hooks 18. In practice, only two pairs of such hooks are required.

After the hides have been removed, the workman carries the door back and attached it to the drum by means of the cross bars 27. It will be noted that each rod 26 is provided with a pair of spaced stops 35 and 36. The stops 35 so limit the downward movement of the rods 26 when the door body 22 is manually held, that the cross bars 27 are held in a position so spaced from the door body 23 as to ensure that the rods 26 may be readily entered between the pairs of hooks 18 with the cross bars 27 above them to enable the door to be hung in place. The stops 36 are so spaced that, when the door is thus attached to the hanger plates 17 and the toggle devices 28 are in their released position, each toggle latch bar 34 is positioned to be caught under the appropriate latch 20 when the toggle device of which it is a part is in its door-closing position.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for treating hides with liquids, a drum to be rotated in a predetermined direction and having a loading and unloading port in its periphery, a gasket surrounding said port, hanger means transversely of the drum adjacent the leading edge of said port, latch means transversely of the drum adjacent the trailing edge of said port, .and a door for said port, said door comprising a molded body of plastic stock dimensioned to overlie said gasket and said port and arcuate lengthwise with respect to the drum axis, a series of spaced parallel transverse reinforcements incorporated within said body, hanging elements detachably engaged with said hanger means, and toggle means secured to and detachably engaged with said latch means and operable between door-closing and door-releasing positions, and means anchoring said hanging elements and said latch means to said reinforcements between the ends of the door.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the door body has side and end walls and a plurality of spaced ribs parallel to said end walls, said walls and ribs projecting outwardly from the outer surface of the body, and the reinforcements are within the end walls and ribs.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the door body is fiberglass and has side and end walls and a plurality of spaced ribs parallel to said end walls, said walls and ribs projecting outwardly from the outer surface of the body, and the reinforcements are within the end walls and ribs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the door body is fiberglass and has side and end walls and a plurality of spaced ribs parallel to said end walls, said walls and ribs projecting outwardly from the outer surface of the body, the ribs being V-shaped, and the reinforcements are wood strips within the end walls and the ribs, the reinforcements for the ribs being of a triangular cross-sectional shape.

5. In apparatus for treating hides with liquids, a drum to be rotated in a predetermined direction and having a loading and unloading port in its periphery, a gasket surrounding said port, hanger means transversely of the drum adjacent the leading edge of said port, latch means transversely of the drum adjacent the trailing edge of said port, and a door for said port, said door comprising a body dimensioned to overlie said gasket and said port and arcuate lengthwise with respect to the drum axis, a plurality of door attaching rods extending lengthwise of the outer surface of the body, keepers anchored in said body and slidably supporting said rods, each rod including an element at one end detachably engaged with said hanger means and toggle means at its other end detachably engaged with said latch means and operable between door-closing and door-releasing positions.

6. In apparatus for treating hides with liquids, a drum to be rotated in a predetermined direction and having a loading and unloading port in its periphery, a gasket surrounding said port, hanger means transversely of the drum adjacent the leading edge of said port, latch means transversely of the drum adjacent the trailing edge of said port, and a door for said port, said door comprising a molded body of plastic stock dimensioned to overlie said gasket and said port and arcuate lengthwise with respect to the drum axis, at least two spaced, parallel transverse reinforcements incorporated within said body, a plurality of door attaching rods extending lengthwise of the outer surface of the body, keepers anchored in said reinforcements and slidably supporting said rods, each rod including an element at one end detachably engaged with said hanger means, and toggle means at its other end detachably engaged with said latch means and operable between doorclosing and door-releasing positions.

7. In apparatus for treating hides with liquids, a drum to be rotated in a predetermined direction and having a loading and unloading port in its periphery, a gasket surrounding said port, hanger means transversely of the drum adjacent the leading edge of said port, latch means transversely of the drum adjacent the trailing edge of said port, and a door for said port, said door comprising a molded body of plastic stock dimensioned to overlie said gasket and said port and arcuate lengthwise With respect to the drum axis, .at least two spaced parallel transverse reinforcements incorporated Within said body, a plurality of door attaching rods extending lengthwise of the outer surface of the body, keepers anchored in said reinforcements and slidably supporting said rods, each rod including an element at one end detachably engaged with said hanger means, and toggle means at its other end detachably engaged with said latch means and operable between door closing and door releasing positions, each rod being longer than the door body and including stops engageable with said keepers, said stops being spaced to limit relative movement between the rods and the doors to an extent that when the door body is manually held, the elements are maintained in a position to be engaged with said hanger means and, when the door body is held by said hanger means, the toggle means are positioned for engagement with said latch means.

8. In apparatus for treating hides with liquids, a drum to be rotated in a predetermined direction and having .a loading and unloading port in its periphery, a gasket surrounding said port, hanger means transversely of the drum adjacent the leading edge of said port, latch means transversely of the drum adjacent the trailing edge of said port, and a door for said port, said door comprising a molded body of plastic stock dimensioned to overlie said gasket and said port and arcuate lengthwise with respect to the drum axis, at least two spaced, parallel transverse reinforcements incorporated within said body, a plurality of door attaching rods extending lengthwise of the outer surface of the body and slidably attached to said reinforcements for limited sliding movement relative to said body, each rod including an element at one end detachably engaged with said hanger means, and toggle means at its other end detachably engaged with said latch means and operable between door closing and door-releasing positions.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the hanger means is a series of pairs of hooks, the hooks of each pair being spaced to receive a rod between them and the elements are pins, one for each rod and extending transversely for engagement with the hooks of an appropriate one of the pairs thereof.

It The apparatus of claim 8 in which each toggle means has a cross member having a threaded hole extending transversely therethrough through which the other end of the appropriate rod is threaded.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 32,469 6/ 1861 Collier 68142 1,331,874 2/1920 Priest. 1,645,171 10/ 1927 Weiss 220-57 2,665,161 1/1954 Stehling 21756 X 2,785,562 3/ 1957 Tigerman 69-30 3,226,961 1/1966 Jacobs 68--139 FOREIGN PATENTS 692,207 6/ 1953 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

A. R. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR TREATING HIDES WITH LIQUIDS, A DRUM TO BE ROTATED IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION AND HAVING A LOADING AND UNLOADING PORT IN ITS PERIPHERY, A GASKET SURROUNDING SAID PORT, HANGER MEANS TRANSVERSELY OF THE DRUM ADJACENT THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID PORT, LATCH MEANS TRANSVERSELY OF THE DRUM ADJACENT THE TRAILING EDGE OF SAID PORT, AND A DOOR FOR SAID PORT, SAID DOOR COMPRISING A MOLDED BODY OF PLASTIC STOCK DIMENSIONED TO OVERLIE SAID GASKET AND SAID PORT AND ARCUATE LENGTHWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE DRUM AXIS, A SERIES OF SPACED PARALLEL TRANSVERSE REINFORCEMENTS INCORPORATED WITHIN SAID BODY, HANGING ELEMENTS DETACHABLY ENGAGED WITH SAID HANGER MEANS, AND TOGGLE MEANS SECURED TO AND DETACHABLY ENGAGED WITH SAID LATCH 